Firefox only opens in safe mode
I'm using Firefox 95.0 64-bit on a Windows 10 computer. The only add-on I've installed is Firefox Color.
Twice in the last week while I've been using Firefox, after it's been working normally, suddenly any clicked link opens in a new window instead of in the same tab as it should. (Note: I have "Open links in tabs instead of new windows" selected in Settings, but it shouldn't apply because I wasn't holding down the Ctrl key when I clicked.)
I quit the browser and when I started it again, it would only open in Safe mode, with a dialog box that included the option Open and Restore. The first time this problem happened I selected Restore, but I still had the problem.
I fixed the problem by downloading and running the FIrefox installer. This solution has worked both times. But I'm concerned that the problem has recurred. What might be causing it? How do I prevent it from happening again?